


And Then There Were Two

by mellow_spacebird



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: And also very gay, Bullying, Derogatory Language, F/F, Field Trip, For the most part, Mild Language, Mr. Harrington's a good bro, Natasha Romanov/Original Female Character - Freeform, Peter Parker's Field Trip to Stark Industries, Sassy Peter Parker, Some angst, Sorry-ish, Spiders, also I may revise this at some point, and a lil creepy, because I haven't been writing in a while, but he gets what's coming to him, canon is whatever I want it to be, cause Flash is a dick, everyone's a little sassy, just talkative, non-canon, so maybe don't read this fic if you have arachnophobia, they're not scary spiders, we're here and we're queer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21994399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mellow_spacebird/pseuds/mellow_spacebird
Summary: What if Peter wasn't the only one bitten by a radioactive spider?When Mr. Harrington's class goes on a field trip to Stark Industries, MJ volunteers her cousin, Melissa (OC), as chaperone. Melissa is home from college, recovering from a severe reaction to a spider bite she received during her summer internship at Oscorp. MJ just wants to get her cousin out and about, but she gets so much more than she bargained for.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	1. It begins...

**Author's Note:**

> This is very loosely based on the MCU, so it probably won't contain spoilers for any of the movies.
> 
> Secondly, I'm still in the process of writing this, so I'll update the tags and warnings as I go.

Monday

Peter rested his head on his binder. It had been a long day already and it was not even halfway over yet. Before school, Peter had made his rounds as Spiderman, stopping three thefts, helping two old women cross the street, and doing other general, friendly neighborhood Spiderman things. By the time Peter got to first period, he was exhausted. It didn’t help that he had been up late helping Tony in his lab the night before. They were working on some improvements to the arc reactor, trying to make it more efficient and cut down on the level of radiation it emitted. Peter had gotten a solid 5 hours of sleep, but it wasn’t enough.

Now, sitting in the back of Mr. Harrington’s second-period class, Peter couldn’t care less about the lecture. The only thing on his mind was taking the fattest of naps during his lunch period. At least, that was the only thing on his mind until Mr. Harrington announced the annual midterm field trip. Peter always looked forward to that field trip. Usually, they went to some sort of science museum or other event. Last year they had gone to a robotics tournament and he and Ned got to help repair one of the robots. It was awesome. So, of course, Peter dragged his head up to give Mr. Harrington his full attention.

“Now, I know you’ve all been looking forward to our annual field trip,” Harrington began mirthfully, “but this year it’s _extra_ special.” He paused for a moment to take in the anticipation on all the students’ faces.

“This year,” he continued, “our class has been lucky enough to be invited to tour Stark Industries!”

Immediately, the room erupted in a thunder of excitement.

“Stark Industries!”

“…so cool!”

“—meet Iron Man?!”

“—can’t wait to see the labs!”

Meanwhile, Peter put his head down on his binder, uttering a quiet, “Well, fuck me, I guess…” as he went.

Ned placed a comforting hand on Peter’s shoulder. “You know, buddy, now Flash will have to stop teasing you about the internship—you can prove it!”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Peter groaned. “It’s Stark. He practically _lives_ to embarrass me. You really think he’d pass up an opportunity like this?”

At this point, MJ turned around in her chair and added, “Well, it sounds like you’re gonna die…”

“—NEXT MONDAY!” Mr. Harrington boomed over the hubbub of excited students.

“…next Monday,” concluded MJ. “I was thinking we could hold your wake on Tuesday and schedule the funeral for Wednesday afternoon,” she smirked.

“Ha, ha. Very funny,” Peter snarked, voice muffled slightly by his arms.

“It’ll be fine, Peter,” assured Ned, giving him a final pat on the back. “We’ll both be there. And whatever happens, I’m sure it can’t be _that_ bad.”

The trio tuned back into what Mr. Harrington was saying. Apparently, the field trip would be next Monday, but permission slips were due by this Wednesday in order to give Stark Industries enough time to print everyone’s guest badges. Also, due to a strict 10:1 student-to-adult requirement, the class “needs one additional chaperone, so ask your parents, your guardians, your adult siblings, whoever—just as long as they’re responsible and of legal age.

“Alright, students, come and get your permission slips and get out of my classroom!” Harrington chuckled as the students rushed his table, tripping over one another to get the coveted permission slip. MJ, Ned, and Peter took their time. They were excited—with the notable exception of Peter—but there was no need to rush. Everyone would get a slip eventually and the trio usually stayed a few minutes after class to chat with Harrington.

“Ah, you three,” the teacher greeted, “excited for the field trip of a lifetime?”

“Yes!” enthused Ned. He was practically vibrating with joy.

“Yeah,” agreed MJ, “and, um, I was wondering: Could my cousin be our chaperone? She’s 21 and home from college for a bit. She’s also a HUGE nerd.”

“Well, I don’t see why not,” replied Mr. Harrington. “Here, take this chaperone slip. Get her to sign it and bring it back to me by Wednesday.”

“Great, thank you.”

The trio moved to leave, but just as they were at the doorway, Mr. Harrington called after them, “—oh! And Peter, try not to look so glum. We’re going to your home turf. I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting time!”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Peter muttered inaudibly.

-.-

It was finally lunchtime and Peter lay prone on one of the large windowsills in the cafeteria. True to his intentions, he was in the middle of taking one of the fattest naps in the history of sleep. Well, he _was_ , until his spider-sense alerted him that someone was approaching. Peter remained still and kept his breathing even, hoping that whoever it was would leave him alone when they saw he was sleeping—no such luck.

“Hey, Penis!” greeted Flash.

Peter sighed, “Yes, Flash, what is it?”

“That’s no way to greet your classmate, _Penis_.”

“Skip the bullshit, Flash. What do you want?”

“I just wanted to let you know that you better come clean now about your fake internship before I expose you on the field trip. You know, save face and all.”

“It’s not a fake internship, but I know you’re not going to believe me, so just leave me alone to take my nap,” replied Peter, nonplussed.

“Okay, Penis, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Flash taunted in a sing-song voice, walking away to join his cackling cronies.

Peter just sighed and turned over onto his side. Flash wasn’t worth a reaction and Peter still had a good 20 minutes before he had to go to 6th period.

-.-

(MJ’s POV)

“Hey, I’m home!” MJ called as she dropped her backpack by the door.

“I’m out here!” her cousin hollered from the backyard. It wasn’t really a backyard—more of a small garden—but they called it that nonetheless. MJ lived in a small, two-story house with peeling lilac paint and a sagging porch. It was in the part of Queens where people actually have houses instead of apartments. She lived there with her Grandmother and her cousin, Melissa, when she was back from college. Melissa had contracted a mysterious illness and had taken this semester off to recuperate at home. MJ liked having her around. Mel was like an older sister to her.

MJ stopped in the kitchen to grab a poptart, then headed out the back door to find Melissa elbow-deep in one of her grandmother’s flower beds.

“Oh-ho-ho! What are you doing? Nana’s going to kill you!” MJ chuckled, continuing to laugh despite Mel’s mild glare.

“Nice to see you, too, Emmy,” she stuck out her tongue.

“Real mature,” MJ responded in kind.

Melissa blew some wispy hairs out of her eyes, “For your information, I am trying to catch a mole. This little bastard has been tunneling all under our grass and I nearly broke my ankle when a section of the tunnels caved in yesterday!”

“How’s it going?”

“How do you _think_ it’s going?” Melissa looked up at her with sweat-soaked hair and dirt-covered cheeks. She looked like she’d tried to run a Spartan race—well, she looked like the Spartan race ran _her_.

“Point taken,” conceded MJ, “take a break with me?”

“Yeah, I could use a break,” Mel accepted, pushing herself to her feet and dusting her hands off on her pants as best she could. “I need to take a shower, but after that, we can hang, alright?” and, not waiting for an answer, she grabbed MJ’s other poptart, ran into the house, and locked herself in the bathroom.

“MELISSAAAAA!”

-.-

“You owe me another poptart,” MJ deadpanned as her cousin swept into the room in a robe and towel-turban.

“Mmhm. So how was school?”

“The usual.”

Melissa cocked an eyebrow. She knew her cousin well enough to know there was more to it than that. And sure enough, after a few silent seconds, MJ relented.

“Fine. We’re going on a field trip in Mr. Harrington’s class and I was wondering if you would chaperone. You know, if you wanted to and if you’re not too busy.” Of course, MJ knew that her cousin’s schedule was wide-open. MJ just wanted to get Melissa out of the house for a bit. She thought it would be good for her.

“Interesting,” Mel smirked, “And where might this field trip be visiting?”

“Stark Industries.”

“Hmm, I’ll have to see about that,” the woman mused with faux seriousness. “I am quite a busy person. I may not have time in my schedule.”

“Mel, please?” MJ near-whispered.

“What was that? Did I just hear a p-p-p-?”

“P-lease,” MJ enunciated, “I said _please_.”

Melissa smirked, “Oh, well, in _that_ case, anything for my little Emmy-Jemmy!”

That elicited a groan from MJ, “I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Never! Now go get your permission slip and we’ll get this show on the road.”

-.-

(Meanwhile… Peter’s POV)

“Hey, uh, Mr. Stark?”

“Kid, what do I have to do to get you to call me Tony? What’s the matter?”

“I have a field trip on Monday and I was wondering if you could sign the permission slip.” His voice lilted up at the end as if the statement was a question.

May was out of town for the month, ‘doing some soul-searching in the desert,’ as she put it, so Peter had been staying at the tower with Tony, his other legal guardian. Peter wished he could ask literally anyone else to sign the slip for this particular field trip, but it was unavoidable.

“Of course, kiddo. Where’s the field trip to?”

“…here,” Peter near-whispered.

“Here?”

“Yes, um, the field trip is to here—Stark Industries. We’re, uh, visiting the tower, some of the lower labs and stuff like that,” Peter fidgeted, avoiding eye contact. He only looked up when he heard the scratching of a pen on paper and suddenly found the pink slip held out to him, freshly signed.

“There you go. Enjoy your field trip,” smirked Tony.

“R-really, that’s it? _Enjoy your field trip?_ ” Peter gawked in disbelief.

“Really,” Stark assured, “that’s it.”

But Peter saw the way his eyes sparkled with mirth and knew his mentor’s blase attitude was too good to be true.

“Well, stop staring, kid. I need your help with the Clint situation. He’s been crawling through the vents again—scaring the hell out of everyone. We gotta do something about that.”


	2. Permission Slips Due Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and the gang hand in their permission slips, while Melissa remembers her accident and freaks out a little bit about the field trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely people! This chapter is a bit of a filler (sorry), but it does give some important background for my OC. Next chapter will be the field trip. I also want to note that this is not ONLY a Field Trip AU. I love a good field trip fic, but the field trip is in service of the larger plot of this fanfic; it will be great, it will be embarrassing, it will be hilarious, but it will not be the entire story. Happy reading!

Wednesday came too quickly for Peter’s liking. Everybody in his class was talking about the field trip, chattering excitedly as they handed their permission slips to Mr. Harrington and took their seats.

“Do you think the Avengers will be there?” asked Ned. Peter buried his head in his hands.

“I sure hope not.”

“Which flowers do you prefer?” MJ piped in.

Both Ned and Peter shot her confused looks, not sure what that had to do with the field trip. MJ rolled her eyes. For a couple of geniuses, they could be really dense.

“For your funeral, loser,” she explained. “You know. When you die of embarrassment. We could go classic—everybody likes a tasteful bouquet of roses—or we could go with something… spicier.”

“Roses are nice,” agreed Ned.

Peter adopted a pensive pose and stroked his imaginary beard.

“Yes,” he said, “I think roses will do quite nicely. Do you think you could get my group project partners to be the pall-bearers? I’d like them to let me down one last time.”

The three friends dissolved into giggles. Peter was resigned to his fate—so much so that he took a twisted sort of joy in planning his own funeral. If Monday’s trip was going to kill him, at least it would be on his own terms.

-.-

(Melissa’s POV)

Being stuck in the house for the past few weeks had been mind-numbingly boring, but Melissa didn’t trust herself to go out in public just yet. Ever since the incident at Oscorp, strange things had been happening to her. She had been working in research and development—engineering, actually—when a spider crawled across her lab table. It was a rather large spider, but Melissa was too focused on her current project and didn’t notice it. When she reached for a caliper, her hand brushed the arachnid, startling it and causing it to bite her.

The first thing she remembered about the bite was the extreme pain. It only bit her hand, but her whole arm felt like it had been set on fire and filled with thousands of tiny needles. Her fingers started twitching, then the muscles in her upper arm, then her chest started constricting at irregular intervals, forcing the breath from her lungs. Not a minute later, she was seizing on the floor. The next thing Melissa knew, she was waking up in a hospital room surrounded by doctors and nurses.

-

_“Ms. Merritt? Ms. Merritt, can you hear me?” the tallest person-shaped blur asked. Melissa could only squint her eyes and nod slightly. Her vision was doubled and the room seemed somehow too bright and too dark at the same time. All sounds were garbled, like echoes or like shouts underwater. Someone opened her right eye and pointed a blinding light into it._

_“Her pupils are responsive.”_

_“Good, good.”_

_The group's attention turned back to her._

_“Ms. Merritt, do you know where you are?” the tall blur questioned._

_“I—I, uh,” Melissa cleared her throat. It felt like sandpaper, hoarse and dry. “I was at my lab.”_

_“Melissa, dear,” said a smaller, pinkish blob, “you’re in the hospital. You suffered a severe reaction to an insect bite.”_

_“An insect bite?” Melissa asked._

_“Yes, sweetie, unlike anything we’ve ever seen. You’re very lucky to be alive,” the nurse answered._

_“I am? Wh-what day is it? How long have I been here?”_

_“Well,” spoke the tall blur again, “we had to place you in a medically-induced coma for your own safety. You’ve been here for almost two weeks.”_

_“T-two weeks?”_

_“Yes, two weeks. It is normal to experience some confusion after waking up from something such as this, so try not to be too hard on yourself. You’ll need lots of rest, as well.”_

_“O-o-okay,” Melissa slurred, fading back into unconsciousness._

_-_

Melissa had stayed in the hospital for a month. The spider bite had almost paralyzed her and it took weeks of physical therapy to get her coordination and balance back to where it had been before. Beyond that, she had experienced some unexplained symptoms, including skin lesions, migraines, hair loss, and vomiting. If Melissa didn’t know any better, she would have said the spider gave her radiation poisoning. Due to the sudden and extreme bout of illness, Melissa had decided to take the Fall semester off from college so that she could recuperate.

It was only after she was back in walking shape that truly extraordinary things started happening. On her morning walks in the garden, she could hear moles tunneling underground. She started waking up seconds before her alarm went off and turned around just in time for her toast to pop out of the toaster. When someone was about to ring the doorbell, all the hairs on her arm and on the back of her neck stood on end. The list went on. It was as if her recent illness had transformed her into a completely different person.

Occasionally, Melissa would even hallucinate—that was the main reason she stayed in the house. Sometimes she would hear people talking when there was no one there. Other times, Melissa would see a spider and could swear that it had spoken to her. Just the previous week, she had been cleaning up after breakfast when a spider crawled across the windowpane in front of the sink.

-

_“Good morning to ya! Nice weather we’re having,” a male voice said._

_Melissa dropped the bowl she was holding. It shattered on the tile floor. She spun around quickly, trying to find the source of the voice._

_“Over here. By the window,” the voice came again._

_Melissa scoured the window, peering into the garden as well, but to no avail. She couldn’t see anyone there._

_“I must be losing my goddamn mind,” she muttered._

_“No, you’re not. I’m the spider on the window pane. See me?”_

_She saw him._

_“I’m losing my goddamn mind. I’m talking to a spider. This has to be some kind of post-traumatic disorder. I gotta see a therapist.”_

_“You are definitely talking to a spider,” the spider replied._

_“Not helping!”_

_“If anything, I should be worried. Apparently, I’m talking to a crazy person,” he reasoned._

_“I’m losing my mind. I’m absolutely losing it. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. Omigod, this can’t be happening.” Melissa left the dishes half-washed and went back upstairs to bed._

_-_

Given the recent unusual happenings, Melissa was less than enthused about chaperoning her cousin’s field trip. What if she ran into another talking spider? What if MJ saw her talking to a spider? What if MJ’s _classmates_ saw her talking to a spider? Melissa shook her head. It wouldn’t do to think that way. She just had to avoid spiders. No spiders, no problem. The other symptoms—hairs standing on end, hearing things that others couldn’t—she could easily hide. It’s just four hours—no spiders, no problem. It would be fine.


	3. Field Trip - Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Field trip day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day?! A miracle, I know. I was dying to get to the field trip, so I had to start it, sleep schedule be damned. I anticipate the field trip taking at least 3 chapters. I promise you it is going to be EVENTFUL. Happy reading!
> 
> (For the purpose of this fic, most of the Avengers still live in the tower. The Avengers Compound is going to function mostly as a training complex/an escape from the city.)

[Monday morning]

“You know what day it is?” Ned bounced gleefully.

“Field trip day,” answered Peter.

“Field trip day!” Ned squealed. He was grinning from ear to ear.

“Ready to be exposed, _Penis_?” Flash sidled up to where Ned and Peter stood in the hallway.

“It’s illegal to expose your penis in school, Flash,” MJ chimed in, “but I guess that just makes you a bully _and_ a pervert. Huh. Can’t say I’m surprised.”

Flash slammed his hand into the lockers and stormed off, sputtering with rage.

“Thanks,” smiled Peter, gratefully.

“No problem, loser,” replied MJ, “Nothing warms my cold, dead heart quite like telling Flash he can suck it. You ready for this field trip?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Peter sighed.

“So ready!” enthused Ned.

The three of them had all been to the tower before—Peter practically lived there—but no matter how many times Ned visited, his excitement never dimmed. He had met practically all of the Avengers before, but that never stopped him from sputtering like a panicked fanboy every time one of them spoke to him. It was actually one of the things Peter loved most about being Ned’s friend. Ned just had this undying enthusiasm for all things superhero and it was a little bit contagious.

As the trio walked into class, Mr. Harrington was already going over some of the rules of conduct for the field trip.

“—no touching things unless you are specifically told you are allowed to do so. No shouting, no yelling, no swearing. When you leave this building, you represent our school and you owe it to future students to give a good impression. We hope to be invited back in the years to come and that all depends on how each and every one of you behave today. Got it? Good.

“Now, we have a very special chaperone coming with us on this trip. This is Melissa, MJ’s cousin—” he gestured to the woman standing awkwardly near the chalkboard “—my star pupil, a few years back. I expect you to give her the same respect you give to me, maybe even a bit more because she is ‘hip with the youths,’ as they say. Melissa, why don’t you introduce yourself a bit further?”

At this, Melissa took a step forward, consciously stopping her fidgeting and folding her hands behind her back.

“Hi, everyone,” she started, offering a small wave, “I’m Melissa, as Mr. Harrington said. I’m currently a Junior in college, working towards an engineering degree. I’m also Emmy’s cousin—”

“We finally get to meet your family, _Emmy_ ,” Peter teased MJ quietly.

MJ glared daggers at him in response, “I will cut you.”

Though they were sitting at the back of the classroom, Melissa heard all of this and had to work hard to stifle her giggle. She masked it as a brief cough, clearing her throat, then continued speaking.

“I used to be a student here at Midtown, just like all of you are, and Mr. Harrington was my science teacher, too. But enough about me, we’ve got an exciting field trip ahead of us.”

“Yes,” Mr. Harrington joined in. “The first two rows will be in my group and the back two rows will be in Melissa’s. Everyone grab your backpacks and your lunches and we’ll head to the bus!”

-

“Hey, nerd,” Mel bumped MJ’s shoulder, “ready for the best field trip in the history of trips to the field?”

“Sure, whatever,” MJ rolled her eyes. It seemed Peter wouldn’t be the only one dying of embarrassment that day.

“Why don’t you introduce me to your friends?” Melissa nodded at Peter and Ned.

“That’s Peter,” MJ pointed, “and that’s Ned.”

Ned gave an enthusiastically friendly wave, while Peter offered a simple nod of recognition and a smile.

“I’ve heard a lot about you two,” said Melissa. “It’s nice to finally meet you both.”

Melissa _had_ heard a lot about the pair. Usually, just snarky comments from MJ, but she could see how much her cousin cared about the boys. They were exactly how she’d imagined them: very friendly and deeply nerdy. Ned sported a shirt that read, ‘This was supposed to have a chemistry joke, but all the good ones… Argon,’ while Peter’s said, ‘The force must be strong with you, cause Yoda best!’ They were like a match made in nerd heaven and seemed like really sweet kids, too.

MJ, Peter, and Ned were all in Melissa’s group. There was also Betty, Abraham, Cindy, Liz, Sally, Jason, and a kid named Eugene who insisted upon being called ‘Flash.’ _Whatever gets him through high school_ , Melissa thought. She could only imagine how embarrassed he would be of the moniker when he got older.

Melissa’s group settled at the back of the bus. Peter and Ned sat together across from Melissa and MJ. Betty sat with Cindy, Abraham sat with Liz, and Sally got stuck sitting with Jason and Flash on the long seat at the very back. Unfortunately, it turned out that Flash was sitting right behind Peter and Ned. It was going to be a long bus ride for them.

No sooner did the bus start moving, then Flash leaned over the seat back towards Peter.

“You didn’t come clean like I warned you to. You know what that means, _Penis?_ Today’s the day that everybody’s going to find out that you’re a pathetic little liar,” Flash started. “And once everybody knows, I’m going to beat you until your face is unrecognizable. Got that, _Penis_?”

“What the hell did you just say to him?” seethed Melissa. She had heard every word but wanted to see if Flash would be bold enough to repeat himself. Flash just gaped at her like a fish out of water.

“Care to repeat yourself, _Eugene_?” she enunciated. “No? I thought so. Now, I suggest you leave Peter alone or I will personally remove you from this field trip. Do you understand?”

He nodded, more shocked he had been caught than remorseful.

“Good. I’ll be watching you.”

-

The class and their two chaperones disembarked from the bus after quickly thanking their bus driver, Mr. Lee—Stan, to the more polite students and Mr. Harrington. They entered the lobby of the Stark tower, craning their necks to take in the spectacular floor-to-ceiling windows, the chandeliers, the large marble walls, and immaculately-furnished waiting areas. The lobby was bathed in natural light—sleek, clean, and professional. It was, quite literally, jaw-dropping. The students milled, settling on the large leather couches and examining the various art pieces that adorned the walls, while Mr. Harrington approached the security desk to check-in.

He returned to the class with a smartly-dressed woman in tow. She introduced herself as Claire and distributed visitor’s badges to each of the students, Mr. Harrington, and Melissa. Claire saw Peter, MJ, and Ned often enough to know that they had badges of their own.

“Alright, Midtown! It is my pleasure to be the first to welcome you to Stark tower. As I said before, my name is Claire. I work in the product testing labs and I will be your tour guide for today,” she smiled. “Now, I have given all of you ID badges. These badges need to be worn on the outer layer of your clothing at _all times_. If you are found without a badge, our security team will have no choice but to escort you from the premises. This is part of our standard safety protocol, okay?

“Everyone in this building wears an identification badge. There are several levels and sublevels, which denote different security clearances. Your badges are white, as you are visitors. Visitors, press, and delivery personnel all have white badges. Yours are level 1.2.”

All the students except for the trio were currently examining their badges in awe.

“Level 2 is for office workers: accountants, PR, etc. Levels 3 through 6 are for interns. 7 through 12 are for laboratory employees and floor managers. Level 13 is for the Avengers. Level 15 is for Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts, and individuals who work closely with them.”

Cindy raised her hand.

“Yes?”

“You skipped Level 14,” Cindy remarked, “Who has Level 14 clearance?”

“Ah, yes, good question, young lady. Level 14 is for friends and family of people with a clearance level of 12 or higher,” Claire said. “They have access to most facilities, but cannot enter any of the labs without an escort.

“All badges from Level 2 through 15 look the same—light blue. This way, no one can tell who has the highest clearance just by looking. It’s an added security measure, so people can’t break-in.”

The class nodded. That made sense; how would you know which badge to steal if they all looked the same?

“Now, as you walk through the metal detector, FRIDAY will greet you. FRIDAY is Mr. Stark’s AI. This is nothing to be scared of, but it does take some getting used to. Who wants to go first?”

Flash shoved to the front of the class, scanning his badge and puffing out his chest as he walked through.

“EUGENE ‘FLASH’ THOMPSON. LEVEL 1.2. WELCOME.”

Despite his bravado, Flash nearly fell over with surprise. The rest of the class filed through, with MJ, Ned, and Peter bringing up the rear.

“WELCOME, PETER. LEVEL 15. AREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE IN SCHOOL?”

“I’m on a field trip, Fri.”

“OH, YES, MR. STARK MENTIONED THAT YOU WERE GOING ON A TRIP. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO ALERT HIM TO YOUR ARRIVAL?”

“God, no,” Peter said, then quickly amended his statement, “I mean, that won’t be necessary, Fri, but thank you for offering. I’m not going to be working in the labs right now.”

“AS YOU WISH.”

“WELCOME, MJ. LEVEL 14. LOVELY TO SEE YOU AGAIN.”

“WELCOME, NED. LEVEL 14. A PLEASURE, AS ALWAYS.”

The other students studied them with curiosity. How had they gotten such high clearance?

Melissa elbowed MJ, silently asking for an explanation.

MJ gave her a look that said, ‘I’ll explain later. Promise.’

“Alrighty,” began Claire, “First off, we’ll be visiting the Avengers museum. If you’ll all please follow me to the elevators, the museum is on the 20th floor.”


	4. Field Trip - Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's class encounters an unexpected guest at the Avengers museum and some people take notice of Melissa's superhuman abilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes are at the end of the chapter :)
> 
> Happy reading!

The Avengers museum took up half of the 20th floor. It resembled an art gallery, in that the center of the large rooms were filled with glass display cases, while the walls held myriad photographs and reproductions of important (but not classified) documents. Each avenger and honorary avenger had their own display. First, Nick Fury, then Captain Marvel, Captain America, the Winter Soldier, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Vision, the Hulk, Hawkeye, Falcon, Thor, War Machine, Iron Man, and Spiderman. A large doorway opened onto the second room of exhibits, which held the honorary Avengers—heroes who had fought alongside them but generally went off to do their own things. This included the Guardians, Valkyrie, Loki, Black Panther, Shuri, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, and the Wasp.

Peter, MJ, and Ned immediately flocked to the Spiderman display case.

“I didn’t even know they had one of these,” marveled Peter.

“This is _so cool_!” added Ned.

Meanwhile, MJ busied herself reading the Spiderman fun facts, which were clearly written by Tony:

  1. _Spiderman is still a teenager, so he’s technically a Spider_ boy _, but we let it slide._
  2. _He addresses Black Widow as ‘Mama Spider.’_
  3. _If you sneak up on Spiderman, he will jump to the ceiling without dropping whatever he is holding._
  4. _Spiderman can communicate with all arachnids._
  5. _Spiderman is afraid of spiders._



“—no way! You’re afraid of spiders?” MJ asked Peter, incredulously.

“What?! They’re scary. Too many legs. Plus, they have really creepy voices. Like, why does a voice like Morgan Freeman’s come out of something so small? How does that even make sense? I’ll hear a grown man say, “Good morning,” to me while I’m in the shower—I’m clearly going to expect some kind of home intruder, not a 5-millimeter-long jumping spider sitting on the shower curtain. Like, what the fuck? Why couldn’t they have cartoon animal voices or something? Literally anything else would be better!”

As Peter finished his rant, MJ and Ned burst into laughter.

“I guess that is pretty creepy,” she agreed. “I didn’t expect them to sound like Morgan Freeman.”

“Yeah,” joined Ned, still laughing, “do they ever narrate your life for you? Like—” Ned put on his best Morgan Freeman impression “—‘the young spider boy reclines in his natural habitat. It seems he is trying to take a nap on the couch. Unknown to him, that is where I have laid my eggs. When he wakes up, he will be covered in my multitudinous offspring.’”

Ned tried to continue his imitation, but he was laughing too hard to speak. Tears streamed down his cheeks, while Peter recoiled, mentally reminding himself to avoid couches for the foreseeable future.

“Not usually, no,” Peter replied, “thank Odin.”

“C’mon, nerds, I wanna see the Black Widow exhibit!” MJ ushered Peter and the still-hysterical Ned away from their current display.

-

(Melissa’s POV)

Melissa had been standing at the Guardians’ display. She thought Groot was the absolute cutest! She was also wondering how the other Guardians had learned to interpret his characteristic, ‘I am Groot’s. Like, what was the syntax? Was it all based on the delivery? Did that mean that an autistic person would have a harder time understanding him than a non-autistic person? How did Groot work around that to make sure he could be understood? Could other people speak in the same way—e.g. ‘I am Melissa’—and be understood by Groot? It was fascinating, really, and Melissa would love to research this further. She thought she would practically fangirl if she got the chance to have an actual conversation with Groot.

Just then, a noise in the vents caught her attention. It sounded like a bang followed by a stifled, “motherfucker.” _Who could be in the vents?! Are they dangerous? I guess we’ll find out…_ Tempering her jump so that it was just beyond what a normal human could do, Melissa hopped up and punched the vent, creating a loud metallic thump, which no doubt echoed through the metal airways. A few feet away, by the Spiderman display, the vent opened and a grown man tumbled out.

“What in the goddamn?” he sputtered, clutching his head slightly.

“Clint!” Peter greeted, then turned serious. “I thought we told you to stop sneaking up on people like that.”

The archer looked scandalized, “I wasn’t _sneaking up_! I was just… um, spying… on you.” It sounded more like a question than a statement.

“Anyway,” Clint continued, “Who hit the vent? That sh-crap echoes like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Sorry,” Melissa stepped forward sheepishly. “I heard you in the vents and wasn’t sure if you were dangerous or not, so I hit the vents to scare you out in the open. Again, I’m very sorry, Mr. Hawkeye, but you really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”

“How did you hit the vents, though? They’re like 9 feet off the ground!”

“I, uh, I just jumped,” Melissa blushed and fidgeted with her hands.

“You jumped? 2 feet high?” an incredulous Clint asked.

“I used to play basketball. The sport’s big on vertical jumps,” she lied, forcing herself to maintain eye contact instead of looking literally anywhere else.

Clint tilted his head critically. He didn’t seem to believe her, but acquiesced nonetheless.

“Well, since I’m down here, Petey, why don’t you introduce me to your class?”

The other students had just started to notice Hawkeye, flocking towards him like moths to a porch light.

Peter sighed, _Of course, this would happen_.

“Clint, everyone,” Peter gestured. “Everyone, Clint. You probably know him better as Hawkeye, the archer.”

While dazzled classmates spent the next few minutes asking Hawkeye anything and everything, Peter meandered over to Melissa, who stood a few feet away, taking in the spectacle.

“Hey, Peter,” she smiled.

“Heya,” he replied with a half-wave. “I’m sorry he startled you like that. We’ve been telling him to stay out of the vents, but does he ever listen? No.” Peter shook his head wryly.

“Don’t worry about it,” Melissa assured him. “Your classmates seem pretty excited to have him here.”

“Yeah, they do.”

“So, you’re kind of a regular here, huh?”

“You could say that. I have an internship with Mr. Stark, not that anybody believes me, though. The Avengers like to project this image of being all serious and whatnot, but they’re really just big goofballs, always getting hurt and accidentally breaking things. When Mr. Stark and I are in the lab, they tend to wander in and distract us. Last week, Clint called an emergency Avengers meeting because he broke the toaster. _Again._ That man should not be allowed _anywhere_ near a kitchen.”

Melissa chuckled, “MJ said you were smart, but you must really be something special to attract the attention of Tony Stark. Congrats.”

“Thanks,” Peter beamed. He was happy to be believed for once. “How did you hear him in the vents, though? Usually, I’m the only one who can catch him.”

“Really good hearing, I guess. It sounded like he bumped into something and I could hear him cursing. I can’t believe he used to be a spy,” Melissa wondered.

“Yeah, me either. Thanks, again, for catching him. He says he wasn't, but I have a feeling he was coming to try to scare me,” said Peter as he walked back to join his friends.

Ned was currently fanboying with the rest of the class, while MJ documented his awestruck expression in her drawing notebook. After a few more questions, Claire spoke up, stating that, as grateful as she was to have Hawkeye stop by, the tour had a schedule to stick to and they needed to say goodbye and head to the lower labs. The kids groaned but were also excited to see where the science happened. Hawkeye vaulted back into the vents with the help of a small grappling hook.

“I’ll be seeing you around, Petey,” he promised.

Peter narrowed his eyes at the archer, whose head was still poking out from the ceiling.

“I’ll count on it.”

And just as suddenly as he had arrived, Hawkeye left, maneuvering through the vents. Melissa heard him take a wrong turn and mutter, ‘fuck,’ before worming his way in the other direction. Claire led the class back in the direction of the elevators, where she was joined by a small man in a lab coat. She introduced him as Phil, one of the chemists at Stark Industries. For this part of the tour, the class would be splitting into two groups, one visiting the chemistry labs with Phil, the other visiting the research, development, and testing labs with Claire. After an hour, the groups would switch, visiting the labs they had not yet seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely people! I had so much fun writing this chapter. 
> 
> At the moment, my plan is to split the next chapter between the class' visit to the labs and Clint reporting back to the Avengers about how a non-Peter someone was able to catch him in the vents. It might end up being a longer chapter, so I'll either split it in two or take some extra time to write it. I'm on winter break right now, so I'll try to update every day, when possible.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for the kudos! I love to hear your comments and critiques--they make me a better writer! <3 <3 <3


	5. Field Trip - Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawkeye reports back to his fellow Avengers, while Melissa's group visits the R&D labs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely people! I should be sleeping right now, but I just had to write this chapter. I am a tad sleep-deprived and I barely revised this, so all mistakes are mine.
> 
> Happy reading!

(In the Avengers' quarters)

“—so I was up in the vents—I know, I know, _‘I’ve got to stop doing that,’_ ” Clint conceded preemptively. He was in the middle of giving a wildly dramatic rendition of the past 20 minutes to the crowd of Avengers assembled on the living room’s large sectional. He had said it was important, but they were starting to get impatient. Leave it to Hawkeye to tell the most dramatic, involved, and lengthy version of a tale.

“So I was up in the vents,” the archer continued, gesturing with his hands, “when someone hits the vents making them echo like you would not believe. It startled me and I fell out of the hatch where I had been spying on Peter and his class, you know, cause of his field trip.”

“Peter’s really stepped up his game,” Sam mused. “I’ve got to try that sometime.”

“BUT IT WASN’T PETER!” exclaimed Clint. After a silent moment of confusion, the perplexed Avengers spoke all at once.

“It wasn’t Peter?”

“Those vents are 9 feet off the ground.”

“Is there a giant in young Tonyson’s class?”

“Alright, alright, settle down,” Hawkeye quelled. “It was not Peter, the vents _are_ 9 feet off the ground, and no, _Thor_ , there is not _a giant_ in Peter’s class. It was one of the class’ chaperones. I asked her about it and she claimed to play basketball—said that the sport trained her to perform exceptional vertical jumps.” Again, the confused Avengers began to murmur, but Clint held up his hand in a motion that said, ‘Hold on, let me finish.'

“I didn’t believe her either, but that’s beside the point,” he acquiesced. “The really damning evidence came when I asked her how she knew I was in the vents: She said she _heard me_.”

“Heard you?! How? Pete’s the only one who can hear that well,” asked Tony.

“ _Exactly!_ ” concluded Clint. “How did an average person, by all indications, first _hear me_ in the vents, then jump almost two feet?!” Clint was practically bouncing on his toes. Who could blame him? This was exciting.

Natasha was the first to put two and two together.

“So you’re saying that we have another superhuman on our hands?” she spoke up from her perch on the couch’s armrest. As much as she loved Clint’s elaborate stories, she would appreciate it if he cut to the chase every once in a while.

“Bingo!” Clint touched his finger to the tip of his nose, simultaneously pointing at Natasha with his other hand.

“Well, I propose we investigate a little further,” said Tony.

-

(Melissa’s POV)

The chemistry labs had been interesting, but the R&D labs were what Melissa was really looking forward to. She had always liked testing things out. It was gratifying to see the different failures of an invention. Trying to learn from them was like a puzzle. After all, you learn more from failures than from success. Someone said that once. Melissa can’t remember whom.

After switching group leaders in the elevator bay, Claire brought Melissa’s group to the basement.

“We do all of our testing underground,” Claire informed them, “just in case anything goes wrong.” As the class exited the elevator, she gestured at the reinforced concrete walls which formed the subterranean level.

“If something goes wrong down here,” she continued, “it is less likely to affect the rest of the tower because the forces are directed into the surrounding Earth. If we had our testing labs on one of the higher floors, any explosion, for example, would jeopardize all the employees on the floors above. Having our labs in one of the sub-basements ensures than any accidents that may occur will not obstruct evacuation routes.”

At this, a few of Peter’s classmates seemed to pale. It seemed reasonable, though, having these labs underground. All of the walls are already reinforced for structural support. Any excess force would be distributed either into the walls or into the bedrock and earth below. Claire asked them all to don construction helmets, safety goggles, and neon vests. (“Safety first!”) The kids took turns tapping each other’s helmets ‘just in case.’ Melissa smiled. It was cute.

“If you’ll follow me, this is our tech lab,” Claire led the group to a thick plexiglass viewing window. Inside, several harried scientists seemed to be corraling a small robot away from a cluster of tables.

“At the moment, we are testing the potential for small robots to aid in scouting search and rescue missions,” she waved to a brown-haired man in an oil-streaked lab coat and chuckled, “It seems this one is a bit _too_ good at evading obstacles. The scientists here are having, what we like to call, a learning experience.

“Now, this next lab is where we study insect and arachnid behavior. It’s next to technology because we are trying to attach little cameras to different bugs in order to gather data from their perspective. Don’t worry, though,” Claire held up her hands, calmingly, “the test subjects are completely safe, well-fed, and very happy, from what we can tell.

“I actually help out in this lab periodically. We affix the tiny cameras to the insects’ backs in a place that won’t hinder their natural movement. The adhesive is non-toxic and wears off in a few days. Then we remove the camera and transfer the bug to one of our retirement cages, where they can live out the rest of their days in peace and comfort.

“We have special permission to head inside. Would any of you like to see what we do?”

 _Of course, there had to be spiders,_ Melissa cursed her bullshit luck. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, _It’s going to be fine, Mel. Just pretend you don’t hear them. It’s going to be fine. You just gotta ignore them for 10 minutes. That’s all._

_-_

(Peter’s POV)

Unbeknownst to Melissa, Peter was having a mini-freak-out of his own. He was far more used to the whole spiders-talking thing, but it had never stopped weirding him out.

 _You can do this, Parker. They’re just spiders. They talk, but they’re just spiders. Deep breaths,_ he thought.

At the table nearest the door, a snow-bearded scientist carefully dangled a fly near the bottom of a small tank. Peter couldn’t figure out what the man was doing, then he heard it.

“Smoo-thie time! Come to Papa!” A low voice rumbled excitedly.

 _Crap, it’s a spider._ Peter mentally face-palmed. Then a big brown mammoth of a spider shot out of the dirt in the tank and grabbed the fly from the scientist’s tweezers.

“Tasty, tasty,” the spider mumbled happily, its mouth full, slurping slightly as it ate.

“Gross, dude. Don’t talk with your mouth full,” whispered Peter. He was closest to the lab table and made pointed eye contact with the still-retreating, snack-happy arachnid.

-

(Melissa’s POV)

Melissa saw Peter looking at the arachnid, but didn’t hear what he said. She was too distracted by the myriad voices filling the small space. One corner was particularly loud and, despite how creepy the voices were, she found herself drawn to it. While her group was distracted with a brief Q&A session, she meandered over to the tanks full of spiders.

“Hi, guys,” she greeted them awkwardly. _How is one supposed to greet a cohort of talking spiders?_

“Hello!”

“Hello!”

“How are you?”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“She can hear us?!” they chorused.

“Yes, I can hear you,” Melissa rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “It’s weird for me, too.”

-

“You seem really taken with them,” spoke a female voice from behind her. Startled, Melissa jumped slightly and spun around. She had been too preoccupied with the chatty bunch to anticipate the scientist’s arrival.

“Gosh, I didn’t mean to scare you,” the blonde apologized. “I was just going to affix a camera to one of our Chilean Rose tarantulas as a demonstration for your class. I was wondering if you would like to hold her while we work?”

“Hold her? Um, sure.” Melissa wasn’t really sure, but she wanted to set a good example for the kids. Trying new things is good. At least, she hoped this would be.

The friendly scientist deftly scooped up a gorgeous red tarantula and placed it into Melissa’s palms.

“Alright, class,” the scientist stated, “If you could all cluster around this lab table right here. My name is Sarah and I am going to be demonstrating for you how we attach the cameras. Your brave chaperone…?”

“Melissa.”

“…Melissa has agreed to hold our gorgeous Chilean Rose tarantula while we work. Pretty cool, huh?”

MJ shot Melissa a quick thumbs up. It wasn’t much, but from MJ it meant a lot. Sarah began explaining the ins and outs of the camera’s technology and how they decided where the safest place was to attach it based on studies of the tarantula’s physiology and movement. Melissa stopped listening as soon as the tarantula began to speak. This one was quieter and lacked the creepy deep voice that most of the others shared. In fact, the tarantula sounded almost like a child.

“Please let this be over quickly! Please let this be over quickly! Please let this be over quickly!” the medium-sized tarantula repeated to herself.

“Hey, hey, hey!” whispered Melissa, “Don’t worry. It’s not going to hurt. You’re going to be fine—won’t even notice it, really. She’s just putting a camera on your back so we can see what you do every day.”

“Who said that?!”

“I did. You’re in my hands.”

“ _You_ can understand _me?_ ” the tarantula gawked up at her, all eight eyes wide as saucers.

“Yeah, yeah, I guess I can,” Melissa smiled. She felt grateful for her ability for once.

-

(Meanwhile, in the Avenger’s quarters…)

“BOSS, YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO SEE THIS,” spoke FRIDAY.

“What is it, Fri?”

“IN THE INSECT LAB. IT APPEARS THE WOMAN WHO SCARED CLINT IS TALKING TO SPIDERS.” The AI pulled up a clip of security footage on Tony’s tablet.

“People talk to animals, people talk to insects. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, Friday,” Tony dismissed.

“BUT SIR, SHE’S NOT JUST TALKING TO THEM; SHE’S PAUSING WHILE THEY RESPOND.”

Tony quirked an eyebrow.

“Interesting. Very interesting,” he frowned thoughtfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief preview of what I'm planning for the next few chapters:
> 
> -More avengers show up at Peter's field trip, both to investigate Melissa and to embarrass Peter. The class is going to have lunch at the tower, then visit an Avenger's training demonstration (cause that opens up some really interesting possibilities for character interactions.)
> 
> -The field trip ends. Somehow, the Avengers contact Melissa and the story goes from there.
> 
> Eventually, there will be a larger plot with an original villain, some action scenes, and a variety of romances. Maybe this will even turn into a series of fics. Who knows?
> 
> As always, thank you for your kudos, comments, and critiques! They make me a better writer :)


	6. Field Trip - Part IV (Lunch Time)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's class has lunch and Natasha shows up, both to bother Peter and to investigate Melissa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely people! Happy New Year!
> 
> This chapter is a bit longer than usual.  
> Side note: If something bites you then you die, it's venomous. If you bite something then you die, it's poisonous. A very important distinction :)
> 
> Happy reading!

(Peter’s POV)

Peter was relieved when Claire announced that it was time for lunch. After the insect and arachnid behavior lab, they had visited some VR testing labs and a particularly fascinating study on the thermodynamics of fabrics (which aimed to inform the development of warmer coats made with lightweight materials.) Peter had enjoyed himself—really, he did, he just couldn’t get the voice of that spider out of his head and it had been driving him wild. The implications of a spider knowing what a smoothie was, nevermind referring to a fly as one, made his knees weak. Sometimes Peter wished he couldn’t speak to spiders and this had become the number one reason why.

Mr. Harrington’s class entered the 40th-floor cafeteria. The large hall overflowed with interns, visitors, and lower-level staff, but a section of tables had been cordoned off for the high schoolers. Like the lobby, the room was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, receiving exceptional natural light. The walls were sleek and polished, lined with comic book-style portraits of each of the Avengers. Tower staff milled about, eating together and chatting happily. What drew Peter’s attention, though, was the food.

He usually ate in the Avengers’ quarters or with Tony in his private lab, so Peter had no idea this food court even existed. One wall was lined with an intimidating variety of food stations. There were some popular chains, a smoothie bar— _Of course_ , Peter rolled his eyes—and a homestyle meal section. Mr. Harrington laid down some ground rules.

“Alright class,” their teacher clapped to draw their attention. “Stark Industries has graciously provided lunch for us all. As you can see,” he gestured broadly, “there is a wide variety of foods to choose from. Pick anything you like and present your guest badge to purchase it.”

As an afterthought, Mr. Harrington added, “And remember, we are guests here, so I expect you to behave appropriately. Take only what you think you will eat.”

Peter, his stomach practically eating itself, rushed off to the Chinese food. He also stopped by the sandwich shop, the salad bar, and the dessert counter. When he was ready to sit down, he had acquired a large carton of General Tso’s chicken, two foot-long subs, a massive salad, and four cupcakes. Mr. Harrington gave him a disapproving look, but Peter knew he would finish it all and probably have to go back for seconds. He settled at a table by the windows with Ned and MJ, both of whom were used to his monstrous appetite.

“I invited Melissa to sit with us,” mentioned MJ. Anyone else would have followed up that statement with, ‘I hope that’s okay.’

MJ, on the other hand, said, “So deal with it,” with a slightly amused, yet characteristically flat affect. Ned and Peter wouldn’t have objected anyway. They didn’t know Melissa very well, but MJ’s approval was a pretty good indication that they would like her.

When Melissa walked up, the trio chuckled. She carried a tray laden with a bowl of curry, a salad, a mountain of cheesy fries, and what looked like an extra-large smoothie.

“You might beat Peter,” chuckled MJ.

“Yeah, it looks like it,” agreed Melissa good-naturedly.

The four of them settled down to eat, taking a few moments to appreciate the incredible view of their bustling city.

-

“—no, no, no! Black Widow would totally win,” argued Ned, “because doesn’t Captain America have a thing against hitting women?”

“If you think about it, though, it’s sexist _not_ to hit a woman if she has equal physical capabilities,” rebutted MJ.

“Agreed,” Melissa nodded, “Captain America may be taller and stronger, but Black Widow is just as well-trained.”

“Just as well-trained as whom?” a voice with a slight Russian accent spoke up.

Four heads whipped around, eyes landing on the Black Widow, herself, who was walking towards where Peter sat.

Surprisingly, Ned found his voice first, slightly stuttering, “W-we were j-just debating who we think would win in a fight, y-you or Captain America. We all thought it would be you, but we disagree on why.” He spoke without making eye contact, his face flushing progressively redder.

“Very well,” Natasha said. “I suppose I can answer that for you: I would definitely win. Steve won once and he’ll never let me forget it. It was because he got Tony to distract me, but whatever.” She shook her head, blinking out of her memories.

All except Peter were staring at the assassin with wide eyes. Students and staff, alike, stared at the Black Widow with awe. They were also clearly too afraid to approach her. Peter, for his part, continued devouring his second sandwich, praying that Natasha would ignore him, even though that wasn’t likely.

“Aw, Peter, aren’t you going to say hi?” teased MJ. “Where are your manners?”

MJ was just as awestruck as the others, but handled it in a different way; she acted cool as a cucumber, freaking out only on the inside.

Peter narrowed his eyes at her. She knew what she was doing. He knew what she was doing. The only question was who would give in first.

MJ crossed her arms, sighing as if to say, ‘I could wait all day.”

Peter took an overly-large bite of his sandwich, maintaining intense eye-contact as he chewed.

It was a standoff, a standoff Natasha promptly broke.

“Yes, Peter, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?”

Peter huffed a quiet sigh, “Fine. This is MJ. She draws people’s reactions in her notebook, but only if they’re particularly noteworthy. With her, ‘loser’ is a term of affection.”

Now, it was MJ’s turn to blush. She gave Peter a light shove.

“This is Ned,” he continued, “my best friend.”

Ned shot Peter a blinding smile.

“And this is Melissa, MJ’s cousin,” Peter introduced. “She’s chaperoning our field trip.”

-

(Melissa’s POV)

“You seem a little young to be a teacher?” Natasha probed.

“That’s because I’m not,” Melissa replied. Melissa knew Natasha was interested and was trying to gather more information but couldn’t figure out why.

_Best to keep my cards close to the vest_ , Melissa thought. She’d heard enough about the Black Widow to know that she was extremely perceptive. Whatever Natasha wanted, she would probably figure it out eventually. However, that didn’t mean Melissa had to make it easy for the spy.

Natasha merely quirked a brow, turning her attention back to Peter. Intel was only half her mission; she still had to embarrass the spider kid.

-

(Peter’s POV)

“It was nice to meet you all,” Natasha said, then, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “I’ll be seeing you sooner than you think.”

Peter groaned, then tensed, feeling Natasha place something on the back of his neck before she walked away.

“Um, guys, don’t freak out but I think she may have put a black widow on the back of my neck,” Peter stated slowly.

“A WHAT NOW?!” chorused Ned and MJ.

“Yeah, like the spider. I know, she’s weird like that. Who just carries spiders around anyway?!” Peter vented. “But, could someone please get it off of me. I feel like it’s nesting in my hair and I might cry.”

Neither Ned nor MJ moved to remove the spider.

“So soft. Must use conditioner,” the widow whispered from behind Peter’s ear.

“Seriously, guys, _please._ ” Both MJ and Ned knew that Peter could communicate with spiders, but he couldn’t say anything in front of Melissa.

-

(Melissa’s POV)

“Come here, Peter,” Melissa spoke up. “I’ll get it off of you.”

She stood up and met Peter halfway around the table.

“Thanks, just be careful,” he warned her, “this is a venomous spider. Maybe you could use a napkin or something.” But by the time Peter finished his sentence, Melissa had scooped up the spider, who let out a disappointed “aw, no,” as she was removed from the boy’s hair.

“I’ll just return her, I guess. Can’t exactly let her go in a building full of people, now, can I?” she announced. Her focus on the spider, she missed the shocked faces of the three teenagers who had just witnessed her casually pick up a very venomous spider. On her way out of the cafeteria, Melissa nodded to Mr. Harrington, saying she just needed to return something the Black Widow had left behind and that she would be back as soon as possible.

When she was in the elevator, it occurred to her that she didn’t know where the Black Widow had gone. _Well, shit. Maybe I can ask FRIDAY?_ _Maybe I can ask the_ spider _?_ It was completely nuts but worth a try.

“Hi, um…” _Did spiders have names?_

“Arachne,” spoke the black widow.

“Arachne. Got it. Please tell me you can’t read my thoughts.” Melissa replied, breathless with nerves.

“Nope. Pretty cool if I could, though,” answered the spider.

Melissa took a steadying breath, “Well, Arachne, I’m new to this whole ‘talking to spiders’ thing, so go easy on me, alright? I’m looking for the Black Widow—the woman who dropped you off here. Can you help me find her?”

Arachne shifted her legs a bit as if thinking it over.

“I have one condition,” the spider lifted a foreleg.

“Yes?”

“Let me ride in your hair while I guide you there. It’ll be like Ratatouille.”

Melissa merely blinked at the spider. _This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder._ And as an afterthought, _Does that mean the Black Widow watches Disney movies?_

“Sure, sure, whatever. I have to get back to the class soon, so you better make this quick.” She lifted the widow onto the crown of her head. The incident at Oscorp had caused her to lose her hair, but it had grown back a little since then. Melissa sported a neat, close-cropped pixie cut, which Arachne settled into happily.

“Nice haircut,” spoke the spider.

“Thanks,” _I just got complimented. By a spider._ “Now where are we going?”

“82nd floor. Avengers’ training room.”

“FRIDAY,” Melissa called towards the elevator’s ceiling, “Can you please take me to floor 82? I have something to return to the Black Widow.”

“Certainly,” FRIDAY acquiesced. “Normally, you would need higher clearance, but I see you have come into possession of one of her spiders. She will be wanting her back.”

-

(Meanwhile, in the cafeteria - Peter’s POV)

As soon as Melissa left, Flash sauntered up to the table where the three friends were eating.

“Scared of a little spider, _Penis?_ How does it feel to have the Black Widow try to murder you in front of all of your classmates? She must really hate you, huh? Maybe cause you’re a liar, _Penis?_ None of the other interns even recognized you! And I don’t know what you did to get Stark’s AI to welcome you like that, but you must have done something!”

“Yeah, he _works here_ , dumbass,” rejoined MJ, “that’s how Stark’s AI knows him.”

“Yeah, right,” scoffed Flash.

“Did you come over here just to show off your sub-par skills of deduction?” asked MJ, thoroughly bored.

“Wha-no! I came over here to tell _Penis_ , here, that now I _know_ he’s a liar. This trip proves it.”

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Peter asked rhetorically.


	7. The Widow, the Spider, and the Norse God

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa returns Nat's spider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely people! I'm sorry it's taken me this long to update. I had a hard time coming up with inspiration. For this reason, the following chapter is on the shorter side of usual. The larger plot starts here and it is very gay, (so, you know, if that's not your thing, this is your warning.)
> 
> Happy reading!

“You forgot something,” Melissa spoke from the doorway to the training room.

“Yes, it seems I did,” replied the assassin from the far end. She had been throwing knives lazily at one of the targets. Despite her startling accuracy, the assassin had merely been killing time until Melissa arrived.

Melissa saw through the Black Widow’s calm exterior. Someone like that doesn’t just forget things. This had been intentional—another ploy for information. She lifted Arachne from the crown of her head and placed her on the wall, where the spider quickly skittered over to the Avenger, climbing onto the red-haired woman’s shoulder.

“Why?” interrogated Melissa.

“Why what?” the Black Widow feigned innocence.

Melissa fixed the other woman with a blank stare. When the assassin made no move to speak, she knew she would have to elaborate.

“Why did you forget her?”

“What do you mean, ‘why?’ Forgetting is an accident,” countered the Widow. It felt like a game of cat and mouse, but Melissa couldn’t figure out who was who.

“You mean to say that you accidentally left a venomous spider on the neck of a teenager you _know_ is deathly afraid of spiders, unaware the I would be the one to return it?” Melissa offered an amused, yet icy, smirk.

“Yes, we all make mistakes,” the other replied in kind.

“Why do you want to know more about me?” Melissa pressed, crossing to the center of the room.

“Who says I want to know more about you?”

“Actions speak louder than words,” Melissa countered and crossed her arms.

Immediately, the hair on the back of Melissa’s neck stood on end. Less than a second later, the Black Widow launched a knife at her head.

Melissa caught it on instinct, stopping the blade mere inches from the bridge of her nose.

“Yes, perhaps they do,” smirked the assassin.

“And what if I hadn’t caught that?” challenged Melissa.

The Widow frowned slightly, “A calculated risk.”

“I see,” Melissa narrowed her eyes.

As tense as their exchange was, Melissa found herself enjoying the challenge of wits. She didn’t find many people interesting, but there was something about the Black Widow that was intriguing, to say the least. Both knew the assassin was playing hard to get, and yet they continued to feed this back and forth, dancing about the subject, prolonging the interaction. It was gratifying and maddening at the same time. Melissa wanted more.

“And what have you learned?” she asked.

“Most people couldn’t have caught that knife, even with years of training,” the Black Widow began, walking towards Melissa until she stood an arm’s length away. “But you did, clearly. You can also jump higher than the average human and talk to spiders—the only way you could have found me up here. Thor thinks you’re a giant.”

At this, Melissa cracked a smile. While she laughed, she missed the slightly dazed expression that flitted across the Black Widow’s features.

“You disagree, right?” Melissa prompted, still chuckling.

“I’d be a pretty bad spy if I didn’t,” the Widow matched her grin. “No, I think you’re something else, entirely. Tell me, have you spent any time at Oscorp?”

Melissa decided she liked the Black Widow—more than that, she respected her, so she told her the whole story: The internship, the spider, the illness, the powers. Melissa even told about the first time spiders spoke to her—how she nearly slipped and fell down when one of them harmonized with her in the shower. It was an embarrassing story and Melissa didn’t know why she was sharing it with someone she had just met, but seeing the other woman laugh was more than worth Melissa’s blush. Melissa felt lucky; she didn’t think many people got to see this side of the assassin.

“—Yeah, I know. And the worst part was, he was a better singer than me!” Melissa feigned outrage. “I’d love to continue this conversation sometime, but I have to get back to Peter’s class.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the Black Widow responded. “I invited them up for a training demonstration. You can wait for them here, if you want.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Melissa smiled.

“Ah, Natasha!” boomed a third voice. “And the giant from young Tonyson’s class!”

“We told you, Thor, she’s not a giant,” Natasha shook her head at the blond god.

Melissa chuckled. The Widow just looked so done with Thor’s shit.

“Giant or not,” continued Thor, “I am Thor, son of Odin, God of Thunder! And you are?”

“I am Melissa, chaperone of Peter,” she joked.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Melissa, chaperone of Peter,” Thor boomed, engaging Melissa in a vigorous handshake. His expression was so earnest, Melissa almost felt bad for joking around.

“Likewise, Thor,” she smiled.

If Melissa was being honest, this was all a little surreal. She had just met two more Avengers. That made three Avengers in one day. It had to be a record or something.

“Who else will be attending the festivities?” inquired Thor.

“Cap, Clint, Wanda, maybe Bucky,” listed the assassin.

“Excellent!” he cheered, clapping Natasha on the back with enough force to make her grunt and take a half-step forward.

“My apologies,” amended the god.

_Peter was right; they really are big goofballs,_ Melissa thought, smiling.


	8. Field Trip - Part V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers training demonstration (aka Flash gets his ass handed to him) and the field trip concludes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely people!
> 
> I decided to write this chapter because I feel sad, and when you feel sad you've got to do something, you know? This isn't a sad chapter, though. On the contrary, I hope you'll find it very entertaining and comical.
> 
> Happy reading!

The class arrived in the gym, greeted by a perplexing sight. Melissa was in stitches with laughter, happily perched atop a pile of pillowy impact mats. She was talking to Thor, who seemed to be completely earnest. In the opposite corner, the Black Widow and Captain America sparred; they were pulling their punches, but it impressed the highschoolers nonetheless. Bucky and Wanda sat on one of the high window sills—how they got up there was anyone’s guess—cheering for Natasha, while Hawkeye snuck up behind the red-haired assassin, clearly intending to spring a sneak attack. For all of Clint’s efforts, he landed swiftly on his back with a resounding thud. Peter’s class, Mr. Harrington included, stared on in awe. Even MJ, long-since inured to the effects of a spectacle, couldn’t help but look on in wonder because _what in the hell was going on here?_

Peter cleared his throat lightly to announce their presence. In less than a minute, the Avengers assembled before the class and Melissa moved to stand next to MJ.

“What was Thor saying?” whispered the younger cousin.

Melissa chuckled, “He was asking about my ancestry,” she snorted. “He’s convinced I’m a giant.”

MJ’s nose scrunched adorably and she tilted her head, perplexed, “Aren’t giants supposed to be, you know, _tall?_ ”

“I’m not the one who thinks I’m a giant,” Mel shrugs. “And for the record, I quite like my height.”

Captain America clapped soundly, gathering everyone’s attention.

“Alright, kids, _Peter_ ,” he winked, “we’re going to be doing a little training demonstration for you today, show you a bit of what we do and teach you some basic self-defense.”

He said this in what Peter calls his ‘PSA voice’—the same one he used in anti-bullying videos during World War II. A few weeks earlier, Friday had somehow come into possession of said PSA tapes and Tony had declared a team movie night. Stark said they would be watching a historical drama (Peter had groaned,) but as soon as the opening credits rolled Peter knew that it was only a partial truth. Steve still blushed scarlet any time someone mentioned it.

“What’d you do to get Captain America to lie for you, _Penis?_ ” Flash clapped Peter on the back— _hard_. Even with Peter’s spider-strength, it hurt like a motherfucker and caused him to stumble forward a little bit.

Peter sighed deeply, “He doesn’t lie, Flash, that’s kind of his whole thing. But I know you’re not going to let this go, so why are we even having this conversation?”

“Scared, _Penis?_ ” the bully mocked.

Melissa heard the whole exchange. She didn’t intervene immediately because she thought it was important to offer Peter a chance to fight his own battles. However, the second taunt from Flash spurred her into action.

“ _Psst!_ ” Mel grabbed Flash’s attention, fixing him with a withering glare. She offered a curt ‘I’m watching you’ gesture with two fingers. The bully visibly shrank, clearly cowed by the memory of Melissa’s threat to kick him off the field trip.

“This isn’t over, Parker,” Flash warned, stepping out of Peter’s personal space.

Melissa wasn’t the only one who took notice of this hostile interaction. The Black Widow was watching Flash like a hawk. The look in the assassin’s eyes was nothing short of murderous. Fortunately for Flash, he didn’t seem to notice. Otherwise, he might have wet himself.

-

The class was paired off and spaced evenly around the large room. Natasha had demonstrated the weakest (eyes, groin, stomach) and strongest parts of the body (elbows, knees) with Clint as her unwilling opponent. She taught the students how to stand, where to hold their limbs, how to attack, and how to block. After providing each student with light protective gear, she released them to practice with (on) each other.

Since Peter already knew most of this, Natasha had paired him with Melissa. Well, that and she knew Melissa would be the only one who could handle him if he forgot to pull one of his punches.

“So you’re a pro at this?” Melissa asked Peter in a friendly banter as they circled one another.

“I wouldn’t say ‘pro,’ exactly,” he grinned. “I’ve picked up a few things here and there.”

“Don’t go easy on me. I find one of the best ways to learn is through failure,” she smiled, squaring up.

“Oh, you’re on.” Peter had taken a liking to Melissa. She was tough yet kind and trustworthy, from what he could tell—not so much an authority figure like Mr. Harrington, but like a cool older sibling. Peter found himself growing comfortable around her.

Peter made the first move, throwing a right hook toward Melissa’s head. She felt it coming—a prickling in the hairs on the back of her neck—and ducked under his fist, catching the back of his arm and yanking him forward. Peter anticipated the fall, rolling swiftly to a crouched stance. This match was just for fun, so he let himself be a little bit sloppy, lunging for Melissa’s waist, arms outstretched. Melissa hopped over him easily. The two spun around and circled each other again, almost exactly how they had started, if a bit out of breath.

They continued like this for several rounds. It proved to be so all-engrossing they didn’t notice the rest of Peter’s class stop and stare. Eventually, Melissa figured she would take the fall, not wanting to give Flash any more fodder for bullying Peter. She launched a kick at Peter’s midsection, unsurprised when he grabbed her leg. The move threw her off balance and she landed on the mat with a thump. Peter offered her a hand.

“Not bad for someone who’s picked up a few things,” Melissa teased.

Peter blushed, worried he might have displayed too much of his strength.

“Relax, Peter,” she smiled. “I’m just kidding. That was a really good match. No hard feelings.”

-

“Now for some exhibition matches,” announced Natasha with a wicked grin. “Time to show off what you’ve learned.”

Most of the class shrank back, afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of _the_ Black Widow. Flash, on the other hand, stepped forward. Whatever the quality of his character, he could throw a punch and he knew it.

“It seems we have a volunteer,” the Widow mused as if she did not see this coming. As if she had not introduced this particular exercise specifically to lure Flash out into the open. As if she had not been planning thousands of ways to knock that stupid cocky grin off his face ever since he had dared speak to Peter with malice.

“Any challengers?” she scanned the room. “No? Hmm…”

Peter knew what was coming. He knew it and he prayed fervently that the floor would open up and swallow him. _Anyone but me. Please, anyone but me._ He wasn’t afraid of Flash. On the contrary, he was afraid of himself, of what he could do to Flash if he lost control.

“Peter.” It wasn’t an invitation, it was an order.

_Fuck. Fuck shit fuck shit fuck shit._

“I want a fair fight,” Natasha informed the boys, who now stood opposite one another. “First to knock the other onto the mat wins.”

“I’ve been waiting for this all day,” sneered Flash.

“Let’s just get this over with,” said Peter.

Flash attacked first, lashing out with a punch that Peter saw a mile away. Instead of dodging it or blocking it, Peter allowed the blow to land on his shoulder, drawing Flash in close. While the bully was preparing to land another strike, Peter spun towards Flash’s still-extended arm, using the limb as leverage to topple the other boy over his shoulder. Peter allowed himself a small grin. Flash sputtered in confused rage as he stared up at the ceiling.

“Go Peter!” cheered Ned.

“Knew you had it in you,” nodded MJ.

Meanwhile, Natasha offered Flash a hand up, tightening her grip when he stood.

“If I ever hear you’ve messed with Peter again,” she spat, words laced with venom, “I will personally make sure that the next time you hit the mat you will not be getting back up. Understood?”

Flash looked like he was having a stroke brought on by pure fear. As the class filed out, thanking the assembled Avengers for their time, MJ pulled out her sketchbook and preserved Flash’s expression for all of posterity.

-

Mr. Harrison dismissed his class from the lobby of Stark Tower. As high schoolers, they could all find their way home independently. Peter stayed behind for his internship, while Natasha approached Melissa, asking her to stay as well.

“I’ll see you at home,” Melissa told MJ, who merely quirked a brow, ‘ _why?’_

“It beats the hell out of me,” Melissa replied. “I’ve got some stuff to explain, though. Pizza for dinner? I’ll tell you everything then.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” MJ promised.

“Wouldn’t expect any less,” Melissa hugged her cousin before walking off to join Natasha and Peter by the elevators.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, yes, I know Tony did not make an appearance at Peter's field trip. The trick is to make someone think you're going to prank/embarrass them and then not do anything; they'll be high-strung for the rest of the day and you won't have to lift a finger. It's a nice excuse, but really I forgot. I'll cover the plot hole later. Promise :)


	9. Best guess? I'm Spiderman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa and Natasha chat and Bruce makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely people!  
> I had so much fun writing this chapter. It's a little serious and a little silly. Next chapter I plan to pick up the pace a bit, writing in all of the Avengers, more or less, and maybe introduce the original villain.
> 
> Happy reading! And, as always, your feedback and reactions are welcomed and heartily appreciated! They truly make my day :)

Peter got off on the ninetieth floor, while Natasha and Melissa continued upwards. It was a tense elevator ride for Melissa, though she could guess what the Black Widow wanted to discuss: her powers. Melissa wasn’t worried, per se, but she sensed that the conversation would be important; after this, her life would never be the same and she wasn’t sure she was ready for such a huge change. She felt the need to break the tension.

  
“Is Thor still convinced I’m a giant?” Melissa smirked, stealing a glance at the other woman.

  
“I think he thinks you’re some kind of exceptionally-beautiful mountain troll now—normal height, but skilled in combat. For a god, he’s not the brightest,” the red-head chuckled.

  
“I’m not sure whether I feel flattered or offended,” the other chuckled.

  
“He’ll figure it out eventually,” said the Black Widow. “Probably.”

  
The elevator doors opened to the one-hundredth floor. It looked sleek and modern, like the rest of the tower, but also a bit homier. The floors were hardwood and the walls held family-type photos of the team. Natasha led the way through a large kitchen to what looked like a normal living room. It could have been in anybody’s house, really. The two women sat a few feet apart on the massive leather sectional. Natasha curled her legs under her body. Melissa fidgeted with her hands. Silence stretched between them.

  
Not one to beat around the bush, Natasha spoke first.

  
“What other powers do you have?”

  
Melissa looked up from her hands, startled from her anxieties.

  
“You already know about the spiders and the jumping,” she began. “There’s also the knife thing. As far as I can tell, it’s a mixture of acute anticipation of danger and speed. I can also do this weird thing with my wrists, but it’s kind of gross so I’d rather not demonstrate.”

  
Subconsciously, Melissa pulled her sleeves over her hands. She’d found out about the web thing a few weeks ago when she moved to pick up a glass. Flexing her wrist caused a coil of adhesive silk to shoot out, knocking the cup clear off her nightstand. While Melissa was thankful the webbing didn’t come out of spinnerets on her lower abdomen like a regular spider, she found the ability creepy, inconvenient, and hard to control.

  
“Very well,” acquiesced the Black Widow. “Anything else?”

  
Melissa thought for a moment, brows knitted.

  
“I’m also stronger than I was before and much more flexible, and I can stick to any surface,” she added.

  
“Do you know what this means?” the Avenger prompted her.

  
“Uh, best guess? I’d say I’m Spiderman,” Melissa joked uncomfortably. She didn’t want to be Spider-anything, much less a spider-themed superhero. That sounded like a lot of responsibility and she could hardly control her powers as it was.

  
“Well, not Spiderman, but Spider-something,” agreed Natasha, pensively.

  
“So, what happens now? Can someone reverse it?” Melissa asked.

  
Natasha’s eyes widened incrementally. It was nearly imperceptible yet constituted a large reaction from the spy. The Widow hadn’t expected the other woman to reject her powers.

  
“Why would you want to give them up?”

  
“The spider didn’t choose to bite me for my merits and moral high ground,” Melissa sighed, pointedly and ashamedly avoiding eye contact. “Why should I be more powerful than anyone else? I wasn’t prepared for this kind of responsibility. I don’t want to misuse the powers I’ve been given and the most effective way to ensure that I don’t is to take them away.” The woman blushed uncomfortably; she felt ungrateful but she believed every word she had spoken.

  
-  
(Natasha’s POV)

  
Natasha took Melissa to Dr. Banner for examination. The young superhuman was little more than a girl and yet she had grit. Natasha had seen it in her eyes when they spoke in the training room and again when Melissa had explained her reasoning for not wanting her powers. She was tentative yet determined. The spy found it intriguing but knew the dangers of trusting a doe-eyed girl. Looks could be deceiving; Natasha, herself, was proof of that.

  
The Black Widow stood quietly near the entrance of the laboratory, watching as Bruce poked and prodded the girl. He drew blood then checked her reflexes, blood pressure, etc. All the while, Melissa sat calmly. She was clearly no stranger to hospital settings and seemed unbothered by the battery of standard tests.

  
“Nat, come look at this,” Bruce called from where he sat at his computer. When Natasha had crossed the lab, he continued, lowering his voice to a whisper, “I had Friday run the blood sample I took from Melissa and it came back as a partial DNA match for Spiderman.”

  
“But they’re not related.”

  
“Well, they weren’t related.”

  
“What is it, Banner?”

  
“It appears they were bitten by the same spider. It changed their DNA in exactly the same ways. They weren’t related, but now, well, now they’re essentially first cousins through the spider,” the scientist concluded.

-  
(Melissa’s POV)

  
“Cousins? Through the spider?!” Melissa balked across the room.

  
The two Avengers spun around to face her.

  
“I forgot to mention my enhanced hearing. Sorry.”

  
“Well, now that you’ve heard us,” Dr. Banner smiled kindly, “I suppose you’ve already figured out that this kind of change can’t be undone. Your genetic code has been almost entirely rewritten.”

  
“Well, fuck me,” Melissa groaned, leaning her head back to stare at the ceiling.

  
“C’mon, Itsy-Bitsy. It’s not that bad,” spoke Natasha, who was suddenly sitting beside her with a comforting hand on her knee. The physical contact didn’t do much to comfort her, though; if anything, it made her heart beat faster and her breath come quicker. Melissa decided that was a problem for another time.

  
“What do I do now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely bullshitted the science bits, so feel free to call me out on that :)  
> Sorry not sorry ;)


	10. They're All Goofy Goobers, Yeah!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa chats with MJ and has breakfast with the Avengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely people!  
> I promise, promise, promise the original villain will make an appearance next chapter. This chapter is kind of long as it is, so I figured I would let you all enjoy the fluff of Avengers at breakfast without starting any angst.  
> That said, there will eventually be some angst because I'm a messy bitch who loves drama.
> 
> Happy reading :)

“I’m Spiderman,” Melissa deadpanned in between bites of cheesy pizza from the place on the corner.

“You’re full of shit,” laughed MJ.

“Okay, well, maybe not Spiderman, but Spider-Melissa,” she conceded.

“Prove it,” challenged the younger cousin.

“Fine, just promise you won’t scream.”

“Whatever.”

Melissa walked over to the wall, toeing her socks off as she went. Placing her palms on the wall, she leisurely crawled up and onto the ceiling, stopping when she was directly above the table.

“Believe me now?”

-

MJ had taken the news better than Melissa expected. She thinks she could have just as easily said, “I had a sandwich for lunch,” and received the same mildly-amused, “Sick,” from her blase cousin. Honestly, Melissa would have appreciated a little fanfare. She hadn’t felt particularly excited about her powers at the time and hoped that she could substitute the enthusiasm of others for her lack thereof. Here’s how she had hoped it would go:

_“Believe me now?”_

_“No fucking way! What else can you do?!”_

_Then Melissa would demonstrate some of her other powers while MJ looked on in awe._

What actually happened was MJ threatened to take the last garlic knot, so Melissa—still on the ceiling—caught it with web and reeled it in.

“How dare you!” MJ had shouted, then proceeded to chase Melissa around the room with a can of Raid (bug spray.)

 _At least my cousin hasn’t changed_ , Melissa thought.

The next day, Mel headed back to Stark Towers. The Black Widow had said something about a meeting with the other Avengers and coming up with a game-plan for training. It seemed like the best bet. She got to the tower bright and early—though not too early, cause even spider-people need their sleep. At the front desk, an alarmingly cheerful man provided her with a new, light blue ID card. It had, “M. Merritt,” printed across the bottom in fine black letters and a picture that looked like it had been taken by a security camera. The angle was weird, but at least her hair looked decent in the photo. A navy and white Stark Industries lanyard was clipped to a slit at the top of the card. Melissa promptly secured it around her neck, holding it up for FRIDAY then making her way to the elevators.

On the 100th floor, Melissa was greeted by Thor. The giant blond god was making pancakes in the kitchen, dancing like a dork to Toxic by Britney Spears. When he noticed her, he waved, spatula still in hand.

“Hello, Lady Melissa. Is this Midgardian music not the greatest?” he enthused loudly.

“Morning, Thor,” she smiled back, “I like this song too! Britney’s a classic.”

She made her way through the kitchen to the living room. As if her morning wasn’t off to a weird enough start, she found Hawkeye sitting on the sectional eating a gargantuan bowl of Froot Loops and watching SpongeBob.

“Are those Big Bird PJs?” Melissa asked, amused, but simply curious and with no malice intended.

The archer jumped slightly, twisting to face her.

“It’s you!” he whispered, eyes narrowed. “The sneaky one!”

“Give it a rest,” Natasha spoke from an adjacent room. She strolled in and situated herself on the couch across from Clint, but not before stealing one of Thor’s pancakes.

“He’s just mad you scared him out of the vents,” the assassin smirked, speaking to Melissa.

“Am not,” muttered Hawkeye before inhaling another spoonful of cereal.

“Anyway,” Natasha continued, “not all of our team is awake this early, but when they are, we’re going to have a team meeting and then we’re going to have our first training session, test the limits of your abilities and whatnot.”

“Cool, cool,” Melissa nodded. She felt unsure of what to do with herself in the meantime. As if reading her thoughts, Natasha spoke again.

“You’re welcome to anything in the kitchen. Thor makes killer pancakes if you haven’t had breakfast yet. Unfortunately, it’s Clint’s morning to control the remote, so we’re stuck watching SpongeBob.”

“Hey!” Clint complained.

“That sounds fine,” agreed Melissa. “I think I’ll take you up on your offer of the pancakes.”

-

Soon, they were all settled on the couch. Spongebob was trying to get into the Salty Spitoon and all four of them—even Natasha—were deeply invested in this episode.

“This stupid sponge is never gonna make it,” the Black Widow predicted.

“On the contrary,” argued Thor, “once they see the young sponge is pure of heart and intention, they will respect him and welcome him to their gathering.”

“Sometimes it hurts how optimistic you are,” Clint said, giving Thor a pat on the back.

Suddenly, another Avenger vaulted over the back of the couch, landing on the cushion next to Melissa.

“Aw, man, I _love_ this episode!” he enthused.

“Peter?!” Melissa’s eyes widened. That was mild compared to Peter’s reaction; the boy jumped all the way to the ceiling, hanging upside-down, before lowering himself to the ground, absolutely mortified.

 _So that’s why MJ wasn’t surprised,_ realized Melissa.

“Um… this is awkward,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “What you just saw-”

“Nothing’s awkward,” Natasha cut him off, “You’re cousins, Little Spider, deal with it.”

“ _Cousins?!_ ”

“Long story short,” explained Melissa, “I’m now half-spider or whatever and I’m fairly sure I’m correct in assuming that you’re Spiderman; the same spider that bit you, bit me, changing our DNA in the same ways and—poof!—we’re genetically related.”

“What in the _goddamn?!!_ ” Peter exclaimed.

“Language, son,” called Cap, who was making his way through the kitchen.

“Can that even happen?” the boy continued.

“Looks like it just did,” Melissa nodded.

“Well,” Natasha stood up, “the others won’t be up for another few hours—”

* _Lazy,_ * Clint coughed.

“—As I said, the others won’t be up for a few hours, so we might as well start now,” the Widow concluded.

“Start what?” asked Peter.

“Melissa, here, is a superhuman. Same powers as you,” Nat informed him. “We’re going to train her—at least until she is ready to keep her abilities under control on her own. I was hoping you could help me show her the ropes, Little Spider.”

“Cool, yeah,” Peter grinned, “I’d love to.”

This was all very strange for him, but what about his life _was_ normal anymore? Besides, he’d always wanted a sibling or a cousin—just never thought he would get one through a radioactive spider, of all things. So he tried to be welcoming. Peter knew meeting the team could be a little intimidating at first and he wanted to help Melissa adjust the way Tony had helped him.

Nat went over a few other things, like how Clint is now banned from the stove, the microwave, and the toaster for safety reasons, how the team has a meeting with Agent Hill, Coulson, and Fury next week, and Thor made an announcement about some obscure holiday coming up in the Asgardian calendar. In Melissa’s opinion, the holiday sounded like a lot of fun but judging by everyone else’s groans Thor frequently proposed these festivities and dragged everyone else along with him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers test Melissa's powers and there's some *tension* if you know what I mean...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your lovely and encouraging comments! I'm sorry I haven't been updating regularly; it turns out I was a bit optimistic about how much free time I would have this semester. That said, it's finally spring break and I intend to get at least one chapter up for each of my current fics if at all possible; they may be short chapters, but I will write them to the best of my abilities.
> 
> Happy reading, lovely people :)

After two helpings of pancakes, four Spongebob episodes, and a brief conversation that could, loosely, be called a 'team meeting,' Natasha, Peter, and Melissa headed down to the Avengers' private gym. At Stark Towers, there was a gym for employees with normal weights and then there was the Avengers' gym, located in a structurally reinforced sub-basement, with literal pick-up trucks and shipping containers to lift. Melissa always assumed the Avengers had something like this, but seeing it was still a shock. The weights ranged from 1 pound (for baby Groot) to over 10 tons. A room off the main gym was covered, floor, wall, and ceiling, with red track material for the less gravity-challenged team members. Yet another side room was filled entirely with trampoline tracks, though Melissa couldn't figure out why. The gym was impressive, even a bit intimidating, at first glance.

"We're going to start with the weights," announced Natasha.

"Sounds good," agreed Peter. "We'll start with one ton and go from there?"

At this, Melissa blanched, "TON?! As in two-thousand pounds ton?!"

"I forgot how much a shock this was," Peter offered apologetically, "It'll be easier if you don't think too much about the weight. See?" He lifted one of the steel blocks as if it was no heavier than an apple.

Sure enough, Melissa approached the weights and found that one ton was like picking up a baseball, light, throwable, easy. Next, they moved on, attempting two tons, then three, four, five and so on, until Peter maxed out at ten. Melissa, it seemed, was just getting started. High on adrenaline, she moved on to eleven tons, failing to notice Peter's absence. (He had gone to sit and watch next to Natasha, who had been observing silently with interest.) Eleven tons... Twelve... Fourteen... Sixteen... Nineteen... Twenty. Twenty was a struggle, but Melissa still managed to hoist the massive weight above her head.

"Alright, next test," stated Natasha, barely giving Melissa time to catch her breath, "speed. Peter, you be the villain. I'll be the civilian. Melissa, you start across the room. Peter will throw various weights and you catch them or knock them away before they hit me."

Melissa moved into position without protest, though her thoughts were a constant loop of, 'but what if I can't?' Surely, Natasha wouldn't put herself in danger like that unless she knew that Melissa would be able to do it. Mel just had to think positive. Think positive and communicate her limits. No sweat. Nobody gets hurt. At least, she hopes not.

"Ready?" asked Peter.

"Ready," Melissa replied.

He launched a one-ton weight towards Natasha's head with startling force.

Melissa sprinted forward, catching it at the peak of its arc and tossing it off-course.

Natasha, for her part, looked a bit bored.

"Alright, two tons?" said Peter.

"Bring it."

-

By 5 tons, Peter and Melissa had fallen into an easy banter, Peter egging her on and Melissa responding with sass, courtesy of her increasing confidence.

-

At 7 tons, Peter started quoting vines ("This bitch empty--YEET!") and Melissa responded in kind ("Not in my good Christian suburb!"). Natasha rolled her eyes. Just what she needed, another one like Peter, Clint, and Shuri.

-

The exercise was going well. However, when Peter threw ten tons, Melissa stumbled slightly. The weight was still in the air, but Mel knew she wouldn't be fast enough to knock it off course. She could get to Natasha, though; the weight couldn't hit its mark if the mark moved.

Time seemed to slow down and speed up simultaneously. The stakes of the exercise heightened immeasurably. Melissa could hear her heart thumping in her ears as she sprinted across the floor with long, determined strides. She leaped at Natasha, tempering her strength so as not to cause injury, and before she could even process what had happened, Melissa lay on top of Natasha--chest to chest--as the weight sailed overhead and crashed into the wall.

For a long moment, Melissa simply stared into the other woman's eyes. They were mesmerizing, an even hazel color corralled by dark grey at the perimeter of her irises. Breathtaking, Melissa thought. And then she realized how close they were, that she was still on top of the other woman, that the eyes she was enjoying looking at were also looking back at her.

The world faded back into existence as Melissa scrambled off of the Black Widow, a bit sheepish.

"Sorry, for, um, well, you know..." Melissa mumbled, gesturing awkwardly at the space between them. "I, uh, just-"

"Easier to move me than the projectile," Natasha interrupted. Melissa was relieved that she understood, but there was a strange edge to Natasha's voice that hadn't been there before.

"Training's over for today," Natasha continued. "We'll resume tomorrow. Same time." Then she stalked out.

If Melissa didn't know any better, she would say the Black Widow just fled. But why? Was she mad Melissa almost hadn't saved her? Was she startled? Surely the Black Widow was used to such life-threatening situations; why would this one have such a pronounced effect?

Melissa sighed, fist-bumped Peter ("Nicely done," she commended. "See you tomorrow.") and headed off in the direction in which Natasha had disappeared.


End file.
